Afghan journalists have a message for the Taliban: trying to drum up media coverage of their terror campaigns by murdering civilians will not work any more. That's according to a group calling itself "the gathering of Afghan journalists," which issued a statement in response to the death of AFP journalist Sardar Ahmad.

Gunmen stormed the Serena Hotel Thursday evening armed with small handguns, killing nine civilians including Ahmad, his wife and two of their children. His infant son was seriously wounded.

In a statement posted across the Internet on Friday, journalists responded with grief and defiance.

"In this attack, the Taliban deliberately and ruthlessly targeted civilians, shooting women and innocent children around the dinner table.
The Taliban carry out such attacks, which can never be justified, solely for the purpose of news coverage and projecting terror among Afghan citizens," the statement reads.

"Therefore, the journalism family in Afghanistan, in a collective decision, has decided to boycott coverage of news related to the Taliban for a period of 15 days, refraining from broadcasting any information that could further the Taliban’s claimed purpose of terror. We also ask the Taliban for an explanation of how they justify the shooting from a close-range of innocent children."

The full statement, which can be found online in english and arabic, is below.

Journalists took to twitter to remember a colleague and his family.

Awful: Murdered at #Kabul #Serena #Hotel attack w his you g family, #AFP journalist 'Ahmad Sardar'. pic.twitter.com/gTgyViNKKL @FereshtaKazemi

— Raza Rumi (@Razarumi) March 21, 2014

Ahmad's death comes ten days after the death of British-Swedish journalist Nils Horner, who was shot in the head in broad daylight. The Taliban denied involvement in that attack.

The Taliban had recently declared that it would seek to disrupt an upcoming election, including targeting workers and activists.

Statement by Afghan journalists
On the Martyrdom of our colleague Sardar Ahmad and his family
Friday, March 21, 2014
Kabul
Once again, the journalism family in Afghanistan mourns the loss of one of its active members in a tragic incident.
In the Taliban’s cowardly attack on Serena Hotel on Thursday, which resulted in the murder of several innocent civilians, Sardar Ahmad, an experienced and renowned Afghan journalist, as well as his wife and two children were martyred. Sardar’s third child was wounded and remains in critical condition.
This incident comes despite the fact that Afghan journalists have assiduously tried to remain neutral in their coverage amid difficult circumstances.
In this attack, the Taliban deliberately and ruthlessly targeted civilians, shooting women and innocent children around the dinner table.
The Taliban carry out such attacks, which can never be justified, solely for the purpose of news-coverage and projecting terror among Afghan citizens. Therefore, the journalism family in Afghanistan, in a collective decision, has decided to boycott coverage of news related to the Taliban for a period of 15 days, refraining from broadcasting any information that could further the Taliban’s claimed purpose of terror. We also ask the Taliban for an explanation of how they justify the shooting from a close-range of innocent children.
We pray for the soul of our respected colleague and his beloved family.

The gathering of Afghan journalists
Sardar Mohamed Daud Hospital
Kabul